Forged in the Shadows
by kyzen06
Summary: Oliver and Team Arrow find themselves drawn into a secret struggle between Ra's al Ghul and Vandal Savage. At the center of it is a young man hell bent on revenge who Felicity desperately wants to help, but he's carrying a dark secret and a dark lineage that may drag them all into the Shadows. (I own nothing except my OC Wraith, the rest is owned by the geniuses at DC)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello all I'm a big fan of Arrow and of DC Comics so I decided to play in this universe and wrote up a story. As usual my story has an OC , but I've also added not only characters from Arrow, but some others from DC Comics that I think would fit in with the tone of the show. Now of course I don't own any Characters in Arrow or DC comics I just like to play with them from time to time. The only character that's from my own head is the main character of this story. Ok boring stuff out of the way let's get started. Hope you guys enjoy! =)

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"Please," she whispered brokenly. "Please just let me go."

With a gleeful look in his eyes he slowly used the knife in his hand to cut away her blouse.

"You should be happy…your number 23," he said silkily as he dragged his finger down her cheek. "I'm gonna tattoo your name right here," a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he pointed to a spot on his forearm.

Emily began to tremble uncontrollably, her fear causing tears to run down her cheeks. She was chained down to the floor, her wrists already bleeding from trying to get free.

"Someone help me!" her utter terror causing her voice to crack.

"Scream all you want, It only makes it all the sweeter," the twisted smile on his face causing her tears to stream down her cheeks.

He leaned in close near her neck inhaling deeply, "You smell so good."

His proximity to her made Emily unable to hold back her trembling. She closed her eyes and prayed to every deity she could think of when she suddenly felt her attacker's neck snap back as if his head was pulled up away from her. She opened her eyes to see her rapist being dragged kicking and screaming by his hair into the shadows of the warehouse he had imprisoned her in.

"No ….please!" he cried out.

"And how many women's cries for mercy did you let fall on deaf ears," Emily heard out of the darkness before she heard a blood curdling scream then silence.

Her eyes opened wide in fear and the tremors started all over again as a masked black figure stepped out of the shadows brandishing a short sword.

"Stay away from me!"

"Be still," his deep eerie voice did nothing to ease her terror.

Emily closed her eyes and turned her head away before feeling the ties around her wrists loosen. She opened her eyes to see her rescuer walking away while sheathing his sword in its scabbard that was situated diagonally on his lower back.

"Thank you," relief making her voice come out in a whisper.

The figure paused, looked over his shoulder and gave her a nod before disappearing into the shadows. Seconds later the police burst in guns drawn. Detective Hall took one look at her and called out, "We need EMS in here now." she cradled the young woman in her arms as Emily's body convilsed with sobs.

"Looks like we need the coroner here too," said a younger officer. "Looks like the hood is back to his old game plan of dropping bodies."

Hall glanced over at the dead rapist and instantly knew that this was not the work of the Arrow.

"Those look like wounds from a sword not arrows rookie," replied Hall with a twisting of her gut. After her rehab in Coast City she had worked hard to earn her SCPD shield back. She hadn't been here for her hometown when it had gone through Armaggedon and she was determined to do her part to try and save this city from all the whackos.

-Arrow-

Roy stood on the rooftop across the street watching the scene unfold. He and Oliver had been on the trail of this serial rapist for the past several days with no luck being able to bring him in. It had barely been 3 months since Slade's attempt to destroy Starling city. The police and emergency response units were stretched thin and it seemed like Starling was having a harder time recovering from this last disaster as it did the undertaking.

**_How did the cops find this guy so quickly when we haven't had a solid lead to go on_**, thought Roy.

Out of the corner of his eye Roy spotted a figure making his way away from the scene via the rooftops.

"Heads up guys, I've got an unknown figure making an exit from the scene and I'm in pursuit," said Roy into his earpiece.

"Roy just keep an eye on him do not engage," replied Oliver.

**_Screw that_**_,_ thought Roy. "Sorry I couldn't make that out. I'm gaining on this guy so don't worry I'll leave him gift wrapped for the cops."

Oliver's irritation come through clearly over the link, "Roy Damn it Do not engage him alone! Digg is 5 minutes out wait for backup. Do you hear me? Wait for..."

Roy disengaged his ear piece as he took off after his quarry. He knew Oliver meant well, but he was tired of everyone on the team babying him. Yes he'd been a wreck when Thea left, but thankfully with a new mission to focus own he had found his way out of his depression. After the chaos of Slade's army tearing the city apart, many of Starling's citizens began taking to the streets trying to take justice into their own hands. Roy understood in a way, he got that people felt helpless during the attempted take over and wanted to feel like they could do something. However some of the people began going too far and dressing up in various costumes trying to emulate the Starling City vigilante.

In the last few months the team had spent a good portion of their time locking up nut jobs who thought that they could do what he and Oliver do. Most of the time they ended up having to save these idiots who would get themselves in over their heads. Now he knew what Oliver must have felt back when he was stupidly taking on crooks with no training, but it was different now. He had faced his demons overcoming the Mirakuru and taking on Slade's henchmen. He had been trained by the best and he could handle some poor slob who mistakenly thought he was helping by taking on more than he could chew. He landed behind the figure dressed in black. He rolled as he simultaneously drew his bow and engaged his vocal distortion device.

"Freeze! Turn around slowly with your hands up," yelled Roy.

The black garbed figure turned slowly one hand on the hilt of his sword at the small of his back, "Isn't it past your bed time kid."

**_He's using a similar vocal distortion device. This guy may not be some amateur_**_,_ thought Roy. "We'll see who's going to go to sleep in the next few minutes," he growled.

"Little boys shouldn't play with sharp objects," taunted the stranger.

**_Cocky bastard_**_,_ thought Roy as he released his arrow aiming to wound his adversary. In an instant Roy saw a flash of something metallic and heard his arrow fall to the ground.

Standing before him the black clad figure was poised in a fighting stance with his short Japanese Kodachi sword held in a reverse grip.

**_Who the hell is this guy_**_,_ thought Roy. "Stand down or I'll put you down!" yelled Roy.

"I don't thinks so," replied his adversary.

Again Roy strung up an arrow letting it loose, his opponent moved like a shadow easily rolling under the shot using the momentum to stand up and throw a thrusting kick towards Roy's midsection. Roy blocked using his bow and countered with a straight punch, but it was as if his adversary knew it was coming as he easily parried the blow with his weaponless hand and redirected it first downward then using the hilt of his sword to lock Roy in a standing arm bar. With Roy bent over and temporarily immobilized the stranger delivered a vicious knee to his face before using his lock to simultaneously disarm Roy of his bow and toss him to the ground. Roy rolled with the throw while grabbing a handful of flechettes from his wrist guard and tossing them towards his opponent. Again the stranger used his sword to expertly slice the thrown darts as he advanced on Roy. He sheathed his sword as he closed the distance and preceded to deliver a variety of punishing blows to Roy. Roy couldn't believe it, every time he attempted to attack the guy dodged or countered.

**_Just who the hell is this guy_**_,_ was the last coherent thought Roy had before a back fist landed on the back of his neck knocking him unconscious.

The stranger leaned down to check the younger man for a pulse. Seeing that he was okay he placed the young mans bow near him and turned to see Digg burst through the rooftop access door gun drawn.

"Don't move," yelled Digg.

The black clad figure ran full sprint to the building's ledge all the while dodging gun fire from Digg. Without any hesitation he lept off the rooftop with Digg hot on his heels. Diggle managed to run to the roof edge just in time to see the mysterious figure use a grapnel gun to swing away.

"Damn, this guy's good," whispered Digg.

-Arrow-

On a rooftop a block away the masked man stared down at the streets of Starling City's Glades district.

**_Another city hell bent on destroying itself, _**he thought.

Taking one last look at the cityscape the masked man used the fire escape to reach his Bike in the alley below. That had been too damn close, above all else he knew had to avoid Robin Hood and his band of merry men. As far as he knew Queen and Waller still kept in contact and he needed to avoid Amanda Waller and ARGUS like the plague until everything had been set. Because there was no way in hell he was ever going let them take him back there.

**_I'd rather die first then let that bitch get her hooks into me again, _**he thought as he shook his head to fight off the painful memories. He just had to draw out Waller's financial backer and then maybe he could finally be free of the craziness that had been his life for the last 8 years.

**_Better head home and grab some shut eye, I've got to start my new day job._**

-Arrow-

"Director Waller, we've just got a hit in Starling City."

Waller turned her cool gaze on the young analyst, "Show me."

The fresh faced young man who barely looked old enough to be out of college pulled up the Starling city police report, "Right here Ma'm, the police report has a similar M.O. as what we've been tracking and witness statements match those we found in Basin City, Coast City, and Bludhaven. A masked man dressed in black saved a would be rape victim."

"I've finally found you, and this time you won't get away," her whispered tone and cruel smile left the tech feeling like someone walked over his grave.

"Get me a direct line to Mr. Savage and have him meet me in my office, then I need a tactical unit dispatched to Starling City Immediately. I want them on the ground and on the hunt in less than 12 hours. Also get in touch with Oliver Queen, we may be able to use him to help capture our quarry," Waller snapped her orders out like a drill sergeant as she walked out of the Ops Center and toward her office.

As she reached the doors she took a deep breath to steady herself. There were very few people who could actually frighten Amanda Waller, but on the other side of this door was the person she feared the most.

"I trust this isn't another wild goose chase Amanda," the handsome man in a tailored Saville Row suit turned and eyed her with a slight smile on his face, but his eyes were flat and cold. It took all of her self control not to buckle under the weight of his stare.

"I'm sure of it this time Vandal. He's in Starling City and we're closing in on him as we speak," she said.

Vandal Savage strolled out of Amanda's with his parting words hanging like a pall in the air, "Good and this time make sure he doesn't escape. Eight years I've had to wait to implement my plans because of your incompetence the first time. I will not be so forgiving should you repeat your errors"

Once the doors to her office were closed Amanda released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

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**A/N: **Hope you guys like it. I'm going to try and update as often as possible with this story. Please dont forget to review. All constructive criticism is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Damn it_****_I can't believe I'm showing up late. Great first impression Felicity_**_,_ she silently berated herself. **_How is anyone going to take me seriously as the new head of IT at Queen Consolidated if I can't even show up on time to interview a potential employee._**

Granted she had spent the night coordinating between Roy doing the nightly patrol in the Glades and helping Oliver as he was assisting Lyla and an ARGUS strike team to bring in internationally wanted Assassin David Cain in BludHaven. Both missions had gone bust as Cain had managed to elude the strike team and Roy ended up getting taken out by this new mystery man. Since Amanda Waller had assisted in helping Oliver get his company back he had agreed to assist ARGUS on a case by case basis, but having to inform the "Ice Queen" that their first mission had failed was anything but pleasant. Still after Oliver returned home she had set her computer to run facial recognition on all the CCTV cameras in the state. One of the perks of joining forces with ARGUS is that she got all the latest toys to play with and Waller had emphasized that capturing David Cain was a top priority. As far as their new mystery man Felicity had been working to write up a new program that could track a person using their dimensions of height, weight, stride length and other kinesiology attributes. Once she got him on camera she could use her program to locate any individuals with similar physical characteristics.

**_Time to put all that stuff on the back burner. I've got to get this interview out of the way, hopefully this guy is as good as his resume made him out to be,_** she thought. **_With him to handle the bulk of the work in IT, ir would free up more time for me to help the team._**

Felicity rushed into her office and quickly greeted her assistant, "Good morning Charlotte."

"Good morning Miss Smoak, Mr. Queen and your 9:30 are already in the conference room," replied the pretty red head.

Felicity nodded to her as she walked into the room rushing past her new potential employee without a glance, **_I just need to make sure I set the right tone for this interview,_**she thought.

"Felicity we're so glad you could make it," said Oliver. "I was just starting the interview for you."

"I'm very sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Medina. Unfortunately an earlier meeting ran longer than expected…" she trailed off after finally looking at the man in front of her. Her only thought was, **_Hello Sailor_**. The Adonis in front of her made her heart rate pick up as she took in the sight of him. He was dressed in a charcoal grey suit that accentuated his broad shoulders. His rimless glasses seemed to accentuate his vivid green eyes that she felt contrasted quite nicely with his dark complexion.

"It's not a problem at all Ms. Smoak. I was just telling Mr. Queen how excited I am at the prospect of working for QC," said the handsome stranger with an engaging smile.

Felicity blinked owlishly for a few seconds before regaining her equilibrium, "Uh right." **_Great first impression Felicity, _**she thought. **_I haven't been this caught off guard by a guy since Oliver._**

The CEO in question glanced at his girl Friday with a curious expression before turning back to their potential employee, "So according to your resume you graduated from Gotham University with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and were employed at Kord Enterprises."

"Yes it was a great learning experience," he replied.

"What was your role there?" asked the CEO.

Caleb paused to gather his thoughts before speaking,"Well my job mainly was building and maintaining the firewalls to protect any data stored by Kord Enterprises from outside intrusion. I used several different methods in conjunction with each other to make sure our data stayed safe."

**_Now he has my attention_**_, _thought Felicity as she leaned in closer. "Like What?"

"Well first I designed several physical DDS Cipher boxes to ensure that physical intrusion on site into the network was nearly impossible, then I programmed a shadownet to use various bots to constantly monitor the system for any malware intrusions, phishing, and other various techniques to try and hack into the data stream. If they tried my bots would drop a logic bomb into their network that would allow us to trace the intrusion to the source," Caleb replied while adjusting his glasses.

Felicity let out a dreamy sigh handsome and a tech geek,"Wow, where have you been hiding? I mean I'm surprised no lucky girl, I mean company's snapped you up yet."

Oliver scowled at Felicity while Caleb looked at the attractive blonde with a shy smile.

"Well if we were to hire you we would expect you to work long hours and really apply yourself. We are trying to rebuild this company after all the losses we've suffered this past year," said the CEO.

"I understand Mr. Queen and I am willing to work hard. One of the reasons I wanted this job is that I wanted to start somewhere I could really get in on the ground floor," Caleb said eagerly leaning forward.

Oliver turned to his new head of IT, "Anything you want to add Felicty?"

"Huh?" replied the blonde as she turned to her boss. "Oh uh no I think you covered it Mr. Queen," Felicity's cheeks were pink with embarrassment at being caught checking out their new employee.

Oliver stood and shook Caleb's hand, "Welcome aboard Caleb. Felicity why don't you show him where he'll working and then meet me in my office."

Felicity stood and smoothed the imaginary wrinkles from her skirt, "Yes Mr. Queen. If you'll follow me Mr. Medina."

"Please I'm going to be working under you so just call me Caleb."

Felicity's mind immediately went to picturing Caleb under her. She mentally shrugged off that train of thought before she got herself into trouble, **_God I really need to get a social life._**

With great effort she brought her mind back on track and led Caleb to his station in the IT department introducing him to his various co workers along the way. Unsurprisingly she noticed the females giving him several appreciative glances not that she could blame them.

Felicity plastered what she hoped was a professionally appropriate smile on her face, "So you're all set if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me or any of your coworkers. We're all pretty friendly here."

Caleb turned that engaging smile on her. It was all the more effective because he seemed to have no clue how he effected those around him, "Thank you Ms. Smoak."

Felicity smiled, nodded once and made her way out of the IT department before she made a bigger fool of herself. **_Time to get my head back on Arrow business. Oliver is going to want an update on our search for David Cain and our new masked "friend."_**

-Arrow-

"Damn it Roy I need to able to rely on you in the field and that means following orders!"

Felicity walked in on Oliver pacing angrily back and forth in the executive conference room dressing down the newest member of their team.

Roy for his part actually looked chargrinned, "I get it boss, I'm sorry alright. I assumed this guy was just another local trying to follow in our footsteps. It was my mistake in underestimating him and breaking protocol. I won't do it again."

Oliver still looked angry, but seemed mollified as he turned to Felicity, "Anything on Cain?"

"Not yet, I've got the facial rec program that ARGUS supplied us with running and as soon as I get something I'll let you know," said Felicity.

"Lyla's also got all her federal and local law enforcement contacts pitching in as well," Digg chimed in.

Oliver placed both hands on the board room table and nodded at his friend, "What about this other masked man? What do we know about him?"

Felicity expertly navigated her tablet as she answered, "We've got even less on him. According to what scant information Waller was able to give us we know someone matching that general description and M.O. has been seen in Bludhaven, Basin City, and Coast City. He never seems to stay in one place too long. Comes in takes out the top dog in that city's underworld and then vanishes."

Oliver's brow furrowed, "We can't have an unknown player in the mix right now. It wouldn't take much for Starling city to be pushed over the edge."

Felicity adjusted her glasses as she answered, "Don't worry Cain and this mystery man are my top priorities. I'll work my techno mojo and find them."

"All right everybody let's head back to our day jobs and I'll see everybody at our 'other' office to start off the 'night shift', said Oliver as he exited the room.

-Arrow-

"Aww are you sure you won't come out for drinks with us?" Charlotte asked.

Caleb put on what he hoped was a sincere smile as he answered, "Thanks, but I didn't get much sleep last night and I'm really beat. Next time though alright?"

"I'll hold to that handsome," the auburn haired woman gave him a flirtatious wink as she and her friends headed off to the nearest bar.

Caleb waited headed off in the direction of his apartment. He waited a few blocks and checked to make sure he was alone before he pulled out a cellphone.

"Yes," the deep voice that answered held a hint of a Japanese accent.

"You were right. Queen Consolidated is definitely connected to ARGUS. I just haven't found out exactly how yet," Caleb said.

"Be careful Kage* you cannot underestimate your enemies. You know what lengths they are willing to go to acquire you again."

"I know Shidoshi** ,but I'm done running. This time I take the fight to them and thanks to you I'm ready," Caleb said.

"Stay safe Kage."

"Hai Shidoshi," Caleb let out a breath as he ended the call. He knew that his life was at stake here, but he couldn't run and hide forever. He was done being at the whims of madmen. If Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul wanted a war then he was bringing the fight to them.

Lost in his thoughts Caleb almost didn't notice the two thugs that followed him dark the dark street near his apartment.

**_Hmmm it seems Starling City is more dangerous than I gave it credit for,_** he thought to himself.

One of the stick up men called out to him, "Hey buddy you got the time?"

His friend chuckled at some inside joke. Probably mistaking Caleb for some helpless victim.

Caleb turned to face his would be attackers with an arrogant smirk as he walked backwards slowly toward a dark alcove, "Yeah it's time you guys went home before you get hurt. I've heard the city can be a dangerous place."

The thug wearing a black hood sneered at Caleb while drawing a switch blade, "Paulie it looks like we got ourselves a comedian here. Tell you what funny man gimme your wallet and maybe I won't slice you up."

Caleb had finally reached the darkened alcove and used the shadows to disappear from his attackers sight, "Come and get it." He whispered.

The hooded thug growled in annoyance and reached into the shadows intending to carve his victim only to find…nothing,

"Where the hell did he go?!" was all that he was able to get out before he was truck from behind and his face driven into the brick wall. The sickening crunch signified his nose had most likely been broken.

'Paulie' turned to find Caleb standing behind him looking more like the predator he was than prey. Paulie reached into his wasteband drawing a semi automatic, but before he could blink Caleb ahd expertly disarmed him and dismantled the gun dropping the pieces to the alley floor.

Caleb's eyes bored into the man, "I think it's time for a career change don't you?"

The man's eyes nearly swallowed his face as he nodded before turning and running in the opposite direction. Caleb watched him go before kneeling down and checking to make sure his other would be attacker wouldn't suffer and lasting damage.

**_Kirigi would say I'm too soft not finishing these guys, but it's not worth the unwanted attention a vigilante killing would bring to the area._**

Caleb stood and made his way to his apartment unaware that someone was watching him from the rooftops.

David Cain watched as Caleb made his way home, **_Been awhile kid. You're even better than the last time I saw you, but your distracted. Otherwise you would've spotted me for sure. Oh well, it works to my advantage. You and I have unfinished business and this time I'll make sure I come out on top. Savage is paying top dollar so I can bring you in alive. Still he didn't say what condition you had to be in, as long as you're breathing I get paid. I'm coming for you, and I'll make you wish you finished me off when you had the chance._**

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**Kage means Shadow in Japanese & Shidoshi means Teacher/Master (Oh and Hai means Yes lol)**

**Author's Note: **I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, but after writing and rewriting it this was the best version I could get. I wanted to post something for everyone who's interested in this story and I promise if you hang in there with me I'll deliver something better for next time. Still I wanted to try and move the story along and hopefully get this finished before season 3 starts and most likely goes in a completely different direction. Anyway thanks again for reading and don't forget to review. I love feedback.

Cheers =)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: ** Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story. Shout out to the Darkness Knight for being one of my biggest supporters. Check out Knight's fanfic.

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"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough, and liked it, never really care for anything else." - Ernest Hemingway

**-Arrow-**

It had been 3 weeks and not a thing to show for it. Both David Cain and their new mysterious masked man had proven to be extremely elusive. Even with the help of Lyla and ARGUS they were no closer to finding much less apprehending either man. To say Oliver was frustrated was an understatement, his friends had quickly learned to give him a wide berth. Of course it didn't help that Amanda Waller had made her disappointment of the fact that Oliver still had not found Cain painfully obvious. After his last meeting with the head of ARGUS Oliver had decided to to try and work through his frustrations at their 'Arrow Cave' as Felicity had dubbed it. Diggle having had the experience of dealing with Oliver when he was like this quickly made his excuses of 'baby stuff with Lyla' before making a hasty retreat. Which meant it left Roy to play the role of human punching bag today.

"Damn it Roy I've told you already you leave your left side open," Oliver said. He was glaring down at his young protegé.

The younger man slowly got to his feet before releasing a sigh. "Sorry alright, but how long did it take you to learn not to get your ass kicked huh?" Roy asked.

Oliver scowled as he released a frustrated breath. "Look I know I'm really pushing you lately, but with a Top flight hitman in the area I need to make sure you'll be ok if you come across him. Plus last time you tangled with our unknown vigilante he kicked the crap out of you."

Roy's cheeks flamed with embarrassment. " Look last time I underestimated him. I won't let that happen again."

"That's good to know," Oliver said. "And to make sure you don't get your ass kicked again your going to go work on your archery skills for the next hour, while I go check in with Felicity."

Roy let out a groan as he dutifully picked up his Bow and Quiver and headed off for some target practice. Oliver watched him leave for a moment before he turned to head towards Felicity's work station.

"If you're coming over to check in with Felicity she will repeat what she told you an hour ago. When she has something she'll let you know otherwise you need to leave her alone so she can do her day job so you can keep your company," the blonde said without turning from her monitors.

Oliver scowled at the back of head. "I thought Caleb the wonderboy was taking on the bulk of the IT work so you could focus here."

"Yes Caleb the Wonder Man is taking on the bulk of my QC responsibilities," she replied. "Buuuuuttt I can't let him take over too much because I can't give him access to the entire system. I'm pretty sure you'd like to keep our night time activities private. Although with the amount of work he's been doing you should give him a raise."

"He hasn't even work at QC for a full month yet," Oliver scoffed. "He's lucky I even hired him."

This time it was Felicity's turn to scowl. "No you're lucky I found him and called him in. He's been a a godsend for QC. Since he's been there IT has been running much more efficiently."

A grunt was Oliver's only reply. He really did not like the amount of time Caleb and Felicity spent together at work. Granted they both worked in the same department and yes she was his supervisor, but did he have to always be there when he come to her office? And did they have to look at each other with that ...look?

Felicity's eyes narrowed on Oliver as she spun her chair to face him. "Well unlike some grumpy bosses I believe in the concept of rewarding hard work. I think I'll treat him to lunch tomorrow."

Oliver's jaw dropped. "Felicity don't you think that's a little inappropriate. I mean you're his supervisor and..."

Felicity glared at him. If looks could kill Oliver would be nothing, but a pile of ash. "First off I said I was taking him to lunch not a motel. Second of all am I really getting lectured on propriety in the workplace by a man the Starling gazette has referred to as the male Paris Hilton?"

Felicity stood up and poke him in the chest to emphasize each point of her argument. "Did you really care about workplace propriety when you 'promoted' me to be your assistant."

Oliver tried to voice an explanation, but she was on a roll. "No you let everyone think I was Oliver's Queen's little plaything which I went along with because you needed me to."

"Felicity I..."

"Do. Not. Speak," She bit out each word. "Did I say anything to you when you started dating Sarah?"

"She worked at the club not at QC," came Oliver's sheepish reply.

Gathering up steam again Felicity gave him another verbal punch in the gut," And who owns the club? Oh that's right you do. You've got no leg to stand on when it comes to professionalism or personal relationships so don't even think about telling me how I should handle myself with someone."

Before Oliver could gather his scattered thoughts she had already left.

**-Arrow-**

Felicity stalked out of their headquarters in the Glades as she stomped to her car. "The absolute nerve of that idiot. How dare he sit there and question me? Who hell does he think he is?"

Felicity continued to rant at Oliver in low mumbled curses complaining about everything from his total lack of appreciation for her and the rest of the team to having to park her car so far away from their new Lair that she had to walk 6 blocks to get to it. She had worked herself into a real tizzy and of course did not notice as a group of men started following her.

"Hey sweetheart where you off to?"

Felicity gasped as she turned her head to glance in the direction of the voice. _Shit, why the hell had I been so stupid_, she silently reprimanded herself. She always took one of the guys with her to walk her to her car when she left. This time however she was so angry she stormed out alone late at night in the Glades.

_Good way to turn into another Starling City statistic_, she thought. She turned back toward her car and ignored the men coming after her. _Hopefully if she could get to a public street they would back off_, she hoped.

She suddenly heard footsteps as four men came rushing after her. With another glance over her shoulder she started out in a dead run. Something made extremely difficult by the Christian Louboutin's she was wearing.

_I swear to God if I get out of this I am only wearing flats from now on I swear,_ she thought. Then she cried out in pain as one of the men caught up to her and grabbed her arm tugging her toward a wall.

"Now that was rude sweetie. Someone asks you a question you answer them," the large man who spoke chuckled along with his three friends.

"Please just leave me alone," Felicity said attempting to sound confident as she racked her brain to remember all the self defense moves Digg had tried to drill into her.

"Naw I don't think so. See we were looking for something fun to do tonight and here you show up," the ring leader said. "Lucky us right boys?"

Felicity looked at the men who had cornered her and they all wore a sinister smirk. Praying for a miracle and trying to use the element of surprise as Digg taught her she kneed the jerk in the groin while smack the one to left in the head with her computer bag causing him to stumble back. Seizing the opening now available to her she again attempted to run but her pursuers caught up to her easily.

"You little bitch," the large man growled as he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head against the brick wall so hard she saw stars.

_"Oh God Oliver where are you?," she thought._

Suddenly one of her attackers was taken down viciously. The other three turned to fight the new threat but were just as ruthlessly dispatched. She blinked her eyes attempting to clear them and thank Oliver or Roy for coming to her rescue.

"Caleb?!"

Caleb leaned down to check on her. "Are you alright?"

Felicity gaped at him. "H...How...Uh what are you doing here?"

Caleb continued to scan the area for threats as he answered. "I live a couple blocks from here. I was out getting a late night bite to eat when I noticed what was happening. Are you ok?"

Caleb helped her get to her feet. "Yes I'm fine thanks to you. How did you do that?"

"I uh I used to train MMA back in Coast City," he answered.

"Well thank you for your help," Felicity smiled at him in genuine gratitude.

"It was no problem. I'm just glad I was able to help, but what are you doing out in the Glades at this time of night?" he asked.

Felicity scrambled to think up a convincing lie. "I was uh ...visiting a friend." She made a mental note to stop making fun of Oliver for his lame excuses. It was not as easy as she thought it would be to come up with a cover story on the fly.

"Okkkk um how about I walk you to your car hmm?"

"I'd really appreciate that thanks," Felicity smiled up at him.

Caleb put his arm around her and escorted her to her car. Again he had allowed himself to be distracted and failed to notice two individual who were covertly watching him.

_Interesting, _thought David Cain. _Looks like I may have found a chink in that armour of yours. This will be more fun than i thought._

The second shadow watched both Caleb and Cain for a moment longer before bounding off toward her original destination.

**-Arrow-**

Caleb smiled to himself as he thought back to his conversation with Felicity before she drove off. She had invited him out to dinner that weekend to show her appreciation. He had told her that it wasn't necessary but she had been insistent.

"Keep this up and I'll either have to promote you are make you my boyfriend," she had blushed awkwardly before she said goodnight and drove off.

Caleb still had a smile on his face as he entered his apartment, but the instant he closed his door he knew something was wrong. His senses were on high alert and he knew someone was in his place. Under the guise of hanging his jacket in the coat closet near the front door he pulled out the hidden kerambit knife he had stashed there. He sensed more than saw as his attacker whip out a lighting fast jab intending to take his head off. In one fluid motion he redirected the attack and unsheathed the knife. Caleb slashed his counter attack, but hit nothing but air as the attacker leapt backward easily evading him. In the blink of an eye the intruder was back on the offensive. The two of them attacked, parried, and countered for several more seconds. Caleb took a deep breath attempting to steady himself before beginning to attack, but froze. He knew that scent.

"Cassie what the hell are you doing here?" Caleb said.

The lights blinked on to show an attractive asian young women. "Your getting sloppy Caleb, I never would've been able to get that close to you without who sensing me before."

Caleb just stared at his old friend and knew that if Cassandra was here than things were about to get a whole lot worse for him.

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**Author's Note:** Oh yeah had to bring Cassandra into this one. For those of you who don't know who she is you can wither wikipedia it or wait until the next chapter as I go into a slightly altered for Arrow Tv series version of her back story and her connection to Caleb.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** Hey everybody first up thanks for continuing to read this story I really appreciate it. However, I'm really not satisfied with this chapter. I rewrote it a few times, but I was never really able to get it to flow the way I wanted to. Oh well, I hope you guys still enjoy it.

* * *

Caleb smiled to himself as he thought back to his conversation with Felicity before she drove off. She had invited him out to dinner that weekend to show her appreciation. He had told her that it wasn't necessary but she had been insistent.

"Keep this up and I'll either have to promote you are make you my boyfriend," she had blushed awkwardly before she said goodnight and drove off.

Caleb still had a smile on his face as he entered his apartment, but the instant he closed his door he knew something was wrong. His senses were on high alert and he knew someone was in his place. Under the guise of hanging his jacket in the coat closet near the front door he pulled out the hidden kerambit knife he had stashed there. He sensed more than saw as his attacker whip out a lighting fast jab intending to take his head off. In one fluid motion he redirected the attack and unsheathed the knife. Caleb slashed his counter attack, but hit nothing but air as the attacker leapt backward easily evading him. In the blink of an eye the intruder was back on the offensive. The two of them attacked, parried, and countered for several more seconds. Caleb took a deep breath attempting to steady himself before beginning to attack, but froze. He knew that scent.

"Cassie what the hell are you doing here?" Caleb said.

The lights blinked on to show an attractive asian woman. "Your getting sloppy Caleb, I never would've been able to get that close to you without you sensing me before."

Caleb just stared at his old friend and knew that if Cassandra was here than things were about to get a whole lot worse for him.

"Cassie," Caleb's frustration was palpable. "Why are you here?"

"Looking after you obviously," Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "You're lucky you weren't killed tonight."

"You think some run of the mill thugs could really take me? You're seriously underestimating my skills."

"No not them you moron," Cassie closed the distance between them placing her hand on Caleb's chest. "...'He' was there tonight, watching you."

"Cain was here?" Caleb couldn't hide his shock. How distracted was he that he hadn't notice David Cain tailing him. "Why would he be in Starling? Especially since Queen is tracking him for ARGUS."

Cassandra's lips pursed as if saying this next part caused her pain. "I don't know what my father's planning, but I'm certain it has to do with you. Ever since you rescued me he's been after you. It's why I followed you here, I owe you Caleb."

"Cass we've been over this, I didn't rescue you. I just helped you rescue yourself. Besides the training you gave me has saved my life countless times over the last few years, so I think we can call it even."

Cassandra's chin lifted defiantly. "You gave me a choice Caleb. You showed me that I didn't have to be the killing machine my father spent my whole life training me to be. That's something I'll never be able to repay."

"Cassie," Caleb reached out and cupped her face gently. "You were never a killer, no matter how hard your father tried to forge you into one, it just wasn't in you."

Caleb saw the look in her eyes and that familiar feeling of guilt gnawed at him. Cassie had always looked at him as if he was some conquering hero, but he knew better. No matter what he felt for Cassandra she was off limits to him. She thought she was in love ,but he recognized her feelings for what they were, the nightingale syndrome. In hospitals sometimes patients developed feelings for their caregivers, but in time those feelings wore off. Caleb understood this and had always kept her at arms length, for her sake and his sanity he couldn't allow them to be together.

Caleb stepped back and turned to look out the window. "How long have you been in the city?"

Cassandra had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming out in frustration. Why did he always do that? Everytime she got close, he stepped away literally and figuratively. "Long enough to see you flirting with that blonde," she bit out.

"Cassie," Caleb's tone held a note of censure. "Back off all right."

"No!" she answered hotly. "You need to wake up."

They both knew she wasn't just referring to the situation with her father.

Sighing Caleb turned to face her. "Ok Cass I get it and I'll be more careful. Now that I know your Dad's in town I'll have to take extra precautions."

"Which is why I'm sticking around," she said.

"What?! No no no, I don't think so."

Her imperious glare cut him off. "You said it yourself, you need to take extra precautions. Plus you don't need to fight a war on three fronts alone. You've got Cain, Queen, and Ra's to deal with, so like it or not you need back up. I'm staying in town and we both know you can't stop me."

As much as Caleb hated to admit it, he knew she was right. Plus if he tried to make her leave she would just kick his ass. As good as Caleb was and he was one of the best, Cassie was better. She had literally been trained to fight since the moment she could walk. Her father had wanted to turn her into the perfect killer; he had meant for her to be his legacy. She was the most skilled person Caleb had ever come across, she had the uncanny skill of utilizing her senses to read a persons slightest body movement and predict their attacks with deadly accuracy.

When they first met three years ago, Caleb had just left Kirigi's mountain complex to begin his hunt for Ra's al Ghul. Back then David Cain had been one of the few freelance hitmen that had known ties to the league of assassin's. Caleb had tracked him down hoping to get a lead on al Ghul. When he finally cornered Cain they had fought in a pretty even match up, until Cain unleashed his daughter. It hadn't even been close, Cassandra had utterly defeated him. He thought she would've killed him then and there, but she'd hesitated. Cain, angry at her perceived weakness struck her and had taken Caleb back to his hideout to force Cassandra to kill him. Both Caleb and Cassandra had been locked up together in a cell. Cain had refused to let Cassandra out until she had taken Caleb's life, so they sat in the dark for days. Instead of killing him Cassandra had done her best to tend Caleb's injuries. Tearing the rags she wore and fashioning bandages for him.

Caleb had learned that she could not speak, but only communicated through a crude form of sign language. Cain had apparently wanted her to focus on the art of killing to the exclusion of everything else. She became adept at using her senses to notice everything around her. Her father barely spoke to her so in order to communicate she had to learn to predict what he wanted. She had been born for no other purpose except to kill, but Caleb had been the only person to treat her as something other than a weapon. In end Caleb's kindness to her even after she had hurt him convinced her that she didn't have to become what her father wanted. She saw that even though Caleb, like her, was capable of great violence he was also capable of compassion as well. Without a second thought she helped Caleb escape and they had been close ever since.

In the beginning he had brought her to Kirigi, not really knowing where else to take her. For the first few weeks she helped nurse him back to health and he began teaching her how to speak. Over the next few months they exchanged lessons, she taught him more martial arts skills including training him to use his senses like she did, and he taught her languages. In time Caleb had left to continue his quest and Cassandra had left hoping to find a purpose for herself. They continued to step in and out of each other's lives over the years, but much to her frustration Caleb still kept her at a distance. She knew part of that was his attempt to protect her. He had launched a personal war against Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul for ruining his life. The two men had been responsible for the death of Caleb's parents as well as countless other atrocities he had been forced to endure at their hands.

Well she wasn't going to let him die on some fool's errand of vengeance. If he planned to take on the league of assassin's and Vandal Savage she was going to help him whether he wanted it or not. "Look I've rented an apartment two floors down, so I can watch you back."

Caleb could not hide his shock. "How the hell did you manage to pay for that?"

"You think you're the only one whose been learning new skills? I've picked up a few things here and there, not to mention I did some leg work for a friend in Gotham," she replied.

"What kind of leg work and for who?"

"She's a friend Caleb and she needed me to look into a few cases for her. It was a mutually beneficial relationship." Cassie's smirk piqued his curiosity.

"So she's some kind of cop or private investigator?" he asked.

"She's not a cop, but her dad is with Gotham PD," her smile said she was holding back more information, but Caleb knew that she wouldn't break confidence with a friend so he let the matter drop.

"Fine Cass you can stay."

She snorted. "Like you could make me leave anyway. So what's our next move?"

"Your dad being in town means I've got to step up my time table. I'm been trying to get into Queen Consolidated's encrypted files for the last few weeks, but Felicity is really good," Caleb turned to see Cassie scowl at the mention of Felicity's name, and chose to ignore it for now. "I need to know how deep ARGUS has their hooks in QC. From what I've found, Queen may not be aware that Waller is using him to be Vandal Savage's little errand boy. All the criminals he's brought in become Savage's own personal hit squad."

"I know someone who can break through their security without breaking a sweat; my friend in Gotham ," Cassandra smiled.

"You sure we can trust her?" Caleb asked.

"Absolutely. If you had bothered to clue me in to what you were doing earlier I could've saved you some trouble. She probably already knows about Savage and his little turf war with Ra's. I mean she already knew who you were when I met her," Cassandra replied.

"What?! That's impossible, I don't even show up in any government systems. I'm a ghost, how the hell could she have found me out."

"Because the Oracle knows all Caleb," Cassie smiled mischievously.

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**Author's Note: **Props to whoever figures out who I'm referring to in that last line. Thanks for sticking with me this chapter.

cheers =)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** What's up everyone? Thanks for sticking with this story so without further ado let's get started.

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"The minute people fall in love, they become liars" -Harlon Ellison

Amanda Waller sat in her desk barely able to contain her nervous energy. They'd finally gotten a promising lead on the exact location of their target. He made a mistake and she was going to capitalize on it. Twenty four hours ago a tech analyst had detected an intrusion into the ARGUS database, the worm had unfortunately been in their servers for several weeks before they were finally able to detect it. Really it was only blind luck that they had caught the worm as it attempted to exit their system with its stolen date. The tech, unsure of what he had found, reported immediately to Director Waller who personally looked into the matter.

She had been more than a little surprised to find the intrusion coming from Queen Consolidated. Her first reaction was that Oliver's little hacker girlfriend was snooping around where she didn't belong, but that theory was quickly discarded as Felicty Smoak would not have accessed the ARGUS database from QC. No, Felicity was too careful about protecting her boss's anonymity to try something like hacking their servers using a QC terminal. Curious as to who in Oliver's company would try to access ARGUS she checked the data that had been stolen and found that the hacker had obtained all the files they had on the League of Assassin's including known or suspected member's and safehouses.

_It has to be him_, she thought. _Oliver has no real quarrel with the League since his ex has once again joined their ranks. And if he needed something from them I'm sure he could find a way to contact Sarah Lance, so it must be our target._

Still Amanda had to play this carefully if this was going to work. She had to acquire subject Wraith for Vandal, but she did not want to jeopardize her agency. Even though Vandal Savage funded ARGUS Amanda knew that he would sacrifice her and ARGUS if it got him his prize, and she had worked too hard putting this agency together to let it slip through her fingers. She had to acquire Wraith for Vandal, but in order to make sure ARGUS remained untouched she had to use intermediaries. Which is why she was sitting at her desk awaiting the arrival of Oliver Queen, she had learned that he was already chasing Wraith and if she gave him just the right nudge he would do all the heavy lifting for her. Then she could deliver the target to Savage and get back to work protecting this country by any and all means necessary.

The intercom on her phone interrupted her musings. "Oliver Queen is here to see Madam Director."

Amanda took a deep breath and put on her famous poker face. "Send him in please."

Oliver Queen strode into the office clearly annoyed at having been summoned. _He must've left directly from the office, _Amanda thought as she took in the younger man's tailored suit.

Oliver stood in front of her desk refusing to sit in one the lavishly upholstered chairs. "You want to explain to me why I'm here Amanda because per our deal I am not your errand boy. I agreed to help out on a case by case basis and I am still running down leads on Cain. We're getting close but if you're going to pull me off the chase just to come in to give you a status report then..."

"This isn't about Cain," Amanda interrupted with a wave of her hand. "This is much bigger than Cain and he needs to be put on the back burner for now."

"What?!" Oliver leaned over Amanda's desk, his gaze bearing down on her. "Explain to me how capturing one of the most notorious hitmen in the world is something that needs to put on the back burner."

Amanda didn't answer, simply sliding a file marked top secret across her desk. Oliver snatched up clearly annoyed at this development until he opened it. While Oliver thumbed through the file Amanda silently prayed he wouldn't see through her ruse. She had concocted a file of various hits throughout the world that no one had claimed responsibility for and attributed them to Wraith. She had included his hits of major crime bosses, but had also added a few foreign diplomats and world peace leaders that had been assassinated in the last three years in order to portray her target as a cold blooded killer for hire. She wanted to play on Oliver's sense of justice, hoping to wind him up and unleash him on her target.

Oliver placed the file down on the desk. "Wraith huh? That's what you're calling this guy?"

Amanda looked into Oliver's eyes and continued to pile on the lies hoping to incite him to action. "It's a tag he's been labeled with in the underground. They call him a wraith because nothing seems to stop him. This man is on a completely other level Oliver which is why I need you to focus exclusively on this. Wraith makes Cain look like an amateur, his kill count is nearly as high as Lady Shiva's. And every operative we've sent after him has come back dead."

"No photo of him? All you've got is a figure dressed in a black battle suit to go on?"

"Like I said he makes Cain look like an amateur. He isn't interested in building a reputation like Cain, he prefers to stay anonymous. That's why the intel on him is so...thin," Amanda replied.

"Alright Amanda I'll do what needs to be done and bring this guy in before he strikes again, but what about Cain?"

"According to our sources Cain is just trying to lay low. He hasn't accepted any new contracts so right now he's not the priority," Amanda said. _No need to tell him that Savage pulled us off the hunt since he hired Cain to acquire the target, blaming ARGUS for not bringing Wraith in sooner._

"Do we have any leads on his whereabouts?" asked Oliver.

"We do...we believe he's in Starling."

Oliver couldn't hide his shock, "When did you receive that intel?!"

"We found out he has taken a contract to assassinate Dr. Caitlyn Fairchild. She's the leading authority on genetics in the world and she is giving a speech at Starling University tomorrow night. We belive that a rival company has contracted Wraith to kill her and steal her research," Amanda lied. Once she found his worm she had inputed false intel that the League of Assassin's was planning to kill the doctor in order to prevent her from being able to develop a cure to a bio weapon they had developed. She hoped it would be the perfect bait to lure Wraith and allow Oliver to capture him. Once this was handled she would finally be rid of Vandal Savage for good...she hoped.

"I'll get on it immediately," replied Oliver. "My helicopter can have me back in Starling in under an hour. I'll need any intel you have on her security detail as well as the building she'll be speaking at."

"I'll forward everything we have on it to Ms. Smoak, we need you on top of your game on this one Oliver. This guy's as good as Slade, maybe better."

Oliver nodded as he stood to leave. Amanda watch him exit her office before allowing herself to smile. Everything was shaping up perfectly and if all went according to plan she could get back to her real work without the specter of Vandal Savage looking over her shoulder.

**-Arrow-**

Felicty had spent most of her day tracking down various leads on the whereabouts of one David Cain. Oliver had made it clear in his usual growly way that they needed to find Cain ASAP. Unfortunately with her being otherwise occupied she had to delegate the typical IT work to Caleb.

When she had approached him a few hours ago offering to take him out to dinner since they had both missed lunch, he had told her not to trouble herself. Felicity however would not take no for answer, so she dragged him from the office and asked what he was in the mood for. Looking to make conversation he had told her about this little place near his old apartment in Coast City that served the best burgers.

"Uhhh No the best burgers can be found right here in Starling at Big Belly Burger," Felicity replied incredulously.

"Seriously you're going to stand their and tell me a place called Big Belly has the best burgers," Caleb chuckled.

"Caleb Medina prepare to be amazed; when this dinner is over you will have a new appreciation for me," Felicity's smile was infectious.

Caleb turned on that megawatt smile that always seemed to curl her toes. "Oh I definitely have a high appreciation of you."

It was a few seconds until Felicity regained her senses, smiling up at him she threaded her fingers through his nd they walked the few blocks to the restaurant.

**-Arrow-**

Carly looked on at the cute couple she had seated in the corner booth, happy that Felicity seemed to find herself a new guy and had stopped pining for Oliver. They had become friends back when John had asked her out and she was thankful to still count on that friendship.

"Order up Carly," said the day shift cook.

Carly turned from the cute scene to pick up the tray of food. "Willie thanks for this and I'll be taking care of the tab, she's a friend of mine."

Carly turned and headed toward the booth. "Here you go guys, best burgers you've ever had."

"We'll see," Caleb smirked.

"Prepare to be amazed, and when your through I will be expecting you to grovel at my feet for doubting me," Felicity smiled.

Caleb bit into the burger and moaned, leaning back, he smiled. "Ok you were right this place has the best burgers I've ever had. And the cheese fries aren't bad either."

"Told you. Never doubt me for I am always right," Felicty beamed at her date happy that she had managed to drag Caleb away from his terminal to grab that meal she promised him. "I'll let you off the hook for the groveling just this once."

"How about dinner on me friday night instead?" Caleb asked.

Behind him Carly was giving her a thumbs up and mouthing "He's hot" while fanning herself.

"Sure," Felicity smiled. _Finally a nice, hot guy with absolutely no drama. Someone pinch me because this is too good to be true,_ she thought.

The young couple continued their meal, smiles and lingering glances interspersed with laughing. Felicity found herself having a really fun time. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun, she'd forgotten how great the 'real' world was. No psycho trying to destroy the city, no quest for family redemption, no danger, just a hot guy who smiled at her and gave her butterflies.

"Thanks for this Felicity, I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun," Caleb looked at her with genuine affection.

Felicity smiled as she leaned in closer over table. "You're very welcome, but you know you're going to have to really step up your game for our next date. I mean I gave you the best burger you ever had, it's gonna be hard to top that."

"Hmmm, you're right, but I do love a challenge," Caleb replied. "I..." Caleb's phone buzzed interrupting him. "I completely forgot that I told a friend of mine I'd check out his lap top. Apparently it crashed and his term paper is on there. That's him freaking out."

"An IT genius' work is never done. Looks like our date is over," Felicity said with an adorable pout.

Unable to resist, Caleb leaned in, closing the distance between them to plant a tender kiss. "Thank's for the best date I've had in a long time. I'll see you at work tomorrow and the coffee is on me gorgeous."

Felicity sighed dreamily as she watched him slide out of the booth and head to the door. With a backward glance and a smile he stepped out into the night.

Carly immediate sat down across from her friend. "Girl he his gorgeous and he seems really sweet."

Felicity reached across the table and gripped her friend's hand excitedly. "I know right?! Oh god I feel like I should pinch myself, he seems to good to be true."

"Don't go borrowing trouble alright? I am excellent at reading people and I get a really good vibe from him. He's one of the good ones."

The two friends continued to talk animatedly as Carly closed the restaurant down.

**-Arrow-**

Caleb took a few moments as he walked down the street to enjoy the moment before dialing his phone.

"Where have you been?!" Cassandra's aggravation came through loud and clear over the phone.

"I was out Cassie," Caleb answered curtly. "What's the situation?"

"Oracle was able to pick up chatter that the league is planning to assassinate Dr. Caitlyn Fairchild tomorrow night at the Starling city University. We need to scour the city, the league is probably here already. THey're probably scouting the University to find possible angles of entry."

"Meet me there with my gear," Caleb said before ending the call.

_Well so much for that warm fuzzy feeling, time to go to work_, he thought. _Time to finally take on the League, I'm coming for you Ra's. You and Savage are going to pay for the death of my parents._

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**Author's Note:** This chapter was a little longer than usual, but I was really in the zone for this chapter and couldn't stop. Anyway thanks for continuing to read and as always all reviews are appreciated. Cheers =)


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